Face to Face / Rise Against

Split [7-inch] (2011)

Joe Pelone

Welcome to facetofacenews.org, your source for all things Face to Face, from pop-punk to pompadours. The California quartet has been on a heck of a comeback in 2011, with an amazing new tour and a solid new album. Further sweetening the deal is a split with Rise Against in which the two bands cover each other. While the seven-inch is a little uneven, it's still a fun listen. Like the Bouncing Souls/Hot Water Music split from earlier this year, it's a neat release for fans of both veteran groups.

Face to Face's take on "The Good Left Undone", from 2006's The Sufferer & the Witness, is straightforward, almost to the point of redundancy. But it has two things going for it: Trever Keith's voice and a slightly quicker tempo. It's in keeping with the band's other covers, in that it's a solid, faithful job and a catchy tune to boot.

The same cannot be said for Rise Against's take on "Blind", from Face to Face. One of Face to Face's strengths is uncomplicated songwriting. Keith finds a melody, the band adds some catchy chords and then they rock it out. Rise Against takes a bells ‘n' whistles approach to "Blind", and it just sounds inferior. Everything from the acoustic intro/outro to the added breakdown distracts from what was originally a simple, fun pop-punk song. Put another way, now that I'm done reviewing this split, I will probably never listen to the Rise Against side again.

Still, this split is part of the celebration of Face to Face's return, and it's a good curio for fans. Just don't spend too much time on the Rise Against side.